Saint Amandus of Elnon
- Feb 6
Reposed in the Lord † 675. Born near Nantes in France, he lived as a
hermit in Bourges for fifteen years. At the age of thirty-three he
became a bishop and preached in Flanders in Belgium, Carinthia in
Austria and among the Basques in Spain. He founded many monasteries
in all these places, of which the best known is Elnon near Tournai,
where he went in his old age and reposed, aged over ninety.

Orthodox Saints of Belgium

Early origins

Situated in the
Latin and Germanic borders, the regions of the
future Belgium and of the future Luxemburg have
been evangelized since the first century;
several martyrs gave their lives there. After
the germanic invasions, when stability was
re-established, Christianisation was able to
develop in a deeper way. The 7th century is
called the ‘century of saints’, with Saint
Amand, Saint Remacle the apostle of Ardenne,
Saint Lambert of Liège and Saint Gertrude of
Nivelles. The following centuries were marked by
the activity, among others, of Saint Hubert and
of Saint Godelieve. As these regions were under
the Patriarchate of Rome, after the schism of
the 11th century they were separated from the
Orthodox Church. Contacts with Orthodoxy
stopped, except for some events such as the
visit of Peter the Great of Russia to what today
is Belgium in 1717, or the marriage of Prince
William of Orange to the sister of Tsar
Alexander I in 1816.

Modern History

As for the modern
period, the first place of Orthodox worship in
Belgium was organized in the second half of the
19th century when, in 1862, a chapel dedicated
to Saint Nicholas was established by the Russian
embassy in Brussels and served by priests sent
from Russia. This was the only Orthodox church
in the country until 1900, when a second church
was created in the harbour city of Antwerp for
Greek sailors and merchants. In 1926 another
Greek church was opened in Brussels and remained
for a long time the main Greek parish in
Belgium.

The Orthodox
presence in Brussels is marked above all by the
emigrations of the 20th century, among them by
the Russian one. The Revolution of 1917 provoked
the exile of over a million Russians of whom
about 8,000 came to Belgium. The Orthodox
churches, perceived by the refugees as shelters,
became at that time spiritual and material
rallying places; new parishes were created
everywhere.

In the 1920s and
1930s Russian churches were founded in several
places: in Antwerp, Charleroi, Ghent, Liège, in
the Russian orphanage of Namur and in the
university town of Louvain (thanks to Cardinal
Mercier). These churches were installed in
private houses, in warehouses or in garages and
served by clergy from the emigration of which
here are some names: Fathers Peter Izvolsky,
George Tarassov, the future archbishop in Paris
(1893-1981), Vladimir Feodorov, Paul Golychev,
future archbishop in Russia (1914-1979) and
Valent Romensky.

During those
years some jurisdictional problems also arose in
the emigration, which were linked to the
division of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
Russia (ROCOR). In Brussels, in 1926-27, some
parishioners of the Church of Saint Nicholas
broke their contact with Metropolitan Evlogy
(Exarch of the Russian parishes in Western
Europe, Rue Daru, Paris) in order to follow the
bishops of the ROCOR headed by Metropolitan
Anthony (Khrapovitsky); then they created their
own parish served, among other priests, by
Fathers Basil Vinogradov and Alexander Chabachev,
then by Father Tchedomir Ostojic. In Brussels,
in 1935, the same jurisdiction erected a church,
which looked Orthodox, with a cupola in the
Russian style of the 16th century. Dedicated to
the memory of Tsar Nicolas II, to his family and
to other victims of Bolshevism, this beautiful
looking church, consecrated to Saint Job, in
1950, was directed by Bishop John (Maximovitch)
(1896-1966), who was titled ‘of Brussels’ from
1950 to 1962, but resided in France; then by
Father Dimitri Khvostov.

Except for these
latter parishes, all the other Russian parishes
in Belgium were then depending on Metropolitan
Evlogy, and, since 1929, on his auxiliary in
Belgium, His Grace Alexander (Nemolovsky)
(1880-1960). At the arrival of this first
Orthodox bishop in Belgium, the parish of Saint
Nicholas became a parish-cathedral, and Brussels
then had an Episcopal Orthodox seat. The Belgian
state confirmed this situation by a royal decree
in 1937 which recognized the diocese giving it
the status of an establishment of public use,
and to its superior the title of Russian
Orthodox archbishop of Brussels and of Belgium.

During World War
II and the occupation of Belgium by the Germans,
the Orthodox of Belgium had difficult times:
some resisted the Germans authentically (such as
Archbishop Alexander who was arrested in 1940
and deported to Germany), while others wished
the victory to Hitler who, according to them,
would liberate Russia from Bolshevism. Some
parishes (such as the one in Antwerp) stopped
functioning, whereas others (such as in Liège)
hardly escaped total destruction. In Liège a new
church with five little cupolas was built after
the war and consecrated in 1953.

After World War
II, the situation of the Orthodox Church in
Belgium changed a lot; the Church of Saint
Nicholas, under the direction of Archbishop
Alexander, who had come back from captivity,
went under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate
of Moscow in 1946, while other Russian
communities disappeared over time (Ghent, Leuven).

In the 1950s, an
important Greek immigration came to Belgium, for
economic reasons. Many of them were working in
coalmines. The Greeks then constituted the most
important Orthodox community (about 27,000
people) and the best organized one. About a
dozen parishes were created around the country
served by priests such as Father Emilianos
Timiadis (future metropolitan and representative
of the Patriarchate of Constantinople at the
World Council of Churches in Geneva) and Father
Panteleimon Kontoyiannis. In 1969, the
Patriarchate of Constantinople created its own
archbishopric, the metropolitanate of Belgium
and exarchate of The Netherlands and Luxemburg,
and appointed His Grace Emilianos (Zacharopoulos)
as the first metropolitan. In 1974, His Grace
Panteleimon (Kontoyiannis) became his auxiliary
and, in 1983, succeeded him.

Among the changes
which took place over the years, was the arrival
of new personalities such as that of His Grace
Paul (Golychev) (1914-1979): first he was a
priest in Belgium, then became a bishop in the
USSR, then came back to Brussels in 1976; and
above all of Archbishop Basil (Krivocheine)
(1900-1985), a monk of Mount Athos and a
theologian scholar who had succeeded Archbishop
Alexander (metropolitan since 1959) in 1960. A
specialist of the Church Fathers, Archbishop
Basil did not hesitate to intervene in the
questions concerning what was actually happening
on the ground in the Russian Church in the
Soviet Union.

The growth of
Orthodox in Belgium, the arrival of new
personalities and the birth of an ecumenical
atmosphere drew the attention of the local
authorities. Some Catholic churches were lent
or sold to the Orthodox, such as the one in
the ‘Stalingrad avenue’ (near the Brussels South
Station), which became the Greek cathedral of
Belgium.

Step by step it
became necessary however for the children of
emigrants or for Westerners who became Orthodox
to profess Orthodoxy in the local languages.
This was well understood by bishops like
Archbishop Basil (Krivocheine) of Brussels and
Archbishop George (Tarassov) of Paris (Rue Daru):
French speaking and Dutch speaking communities
were created in the years 1960-1970, after a
fruitless attempt in 1935-40. Then French
speaking and Dutch speaking communities were
opened: in Brussels, the parishes of the
Protection of the Virgin (Father Joseph Lamine)
and of the Holy Trinity and of Saints Cosmas and
Damian (Fathers Peter Struve and Marc Nicaise);
and in Ghent that of Saint Andrew (Father
Ignatius Peckstadt).

From that time
on, the Orthodox were better integrated in
Belgian society, in particular after the Second
Vatican Council (1962-65). Since then diverse
activities (conferences, congresses, retreats
and week-ends of reflection, youth movements,
sessions of icon painting, etc.) have a certain
impact. One can note a certain interest in the
Orthodox Churches when Orthodox Patriarchs visit
the country, for example when Patriarch
Justinian of Romania came in 1972, and when
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople came in
1993, 1994, 1996 and 2004.

As for the
Belgian authorities they mark their benevolence
towards the Orthodox, for example when King
Baudouin visited the Orthodox parish in Ghent in
1980, and especially when Orthodoxy was
recognised as an official religion in Belgium in
1985 (and in 1998 in Luxemburg). Thanks to
this recognition and to the action of diverse
people, the Orthodox Church has become a real
living reality in the ecclesial scenery of
Belgium and Luxemburg today.

Present
Situation

Today there are
between 70,000 and 80,000 Orthodox Christians in
Belgium. In Luxemburg, there are about one
thousand faithful. About 4 bishops living in the
country, 52 priests and 10 deacons of the
diverse jurisdictions serve about 45 places of
worship.

The Archbishopric
(or Metropolitanate) of Belgium and Exarchate of
The Netherlands and Luxemburg (Greek diocese of
the Patriarchate of Constantinople, with its
seat in Brussels) has 23 parishes in Belgium and
3 in Luxemburg (a Greek, a Romanian and a
Bulgarian parish). The archbishopric is led by
Metropolitan Panteleimon (Kontoyiannis), who is
assisted by two auxiliary bishops, Maximos (Mastichis)
and Athenagoras (Peckstadt). As exarch of the
Patriarchate of Constantinople for the Benelux
countries (Belgium, Luxemburg and The
Netherlands), he is considered as the ‘first’
Orthodox bishop of the three countries and he
also represents the Orthodox Church (including
all jurisdictions) to the authorities of Belgium
and Luxemburg.

The Greek
parishes of this diocese keep their linguistic
and cultural identities for the Hellenistic
community; the diocese also has some ‘western’
parishes celebrating in the local languages: in
Courtrai, Bruges, Brussels and in Ghent, where a
church in the Orthodox style with a cupola was
recently built (2001). Bishop Athenagoras
Peckstadt (the son of Father Ignatius) is
responsible for these communities. An
interesting experiment is being made in the
Greek parish of Peronnes (Binche) to translate
into French the tradition and chants of
Byzantine origin. For some years a Georgian
parish has functioned in Brussels, affiliated to
this diocese.

It is worthy of
note that this diocese has a Centre of
theological training founded in 1997 by Father
Dominique Verbeke and linked with the Orthodox
Theological Institute Saint Sergius in Paris. It
organizes the programmes of Orthodox religious
teaching for the public schools of Belgium. The
diocese is also providing Orthodox presence for
the Belgian medias and the Orthodox chaplaincy
in the hospitals, jails and airports of the
country.

The Belgian
diocese of the Patriarchate of Moscow
(archbishopric of Brussels and Belgium, with its
seat in Brussels), has 11 communities including
a monastery in Pervijze (near Dixmude, on the
Belgian side) since 1976, and, since 2000, a
little convent in Trazegnies (near Charleroi).
Since 1987 the diocese is presided over by
Archbishop Simon (Ishunin) who is also
provisionally in charge of The Netherlands.
These parishes include longstanding Russian
emigrants or their descendants, new emigrants,
as well as Belgians and other Westerners. The
offices and liturgies are celebrated in
Slavonic, French or Dutch, according to the
communities.

In the frame of
its representation by the European institutions,
the Patriarchate of Moscow also opened in 2002,
in Brussels, a church, which was under the
direct administration of the Patriarch. The same
year Queen Paola visited it. This church was
integrated into the diocese in 2005.

The archbishopric
for Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe
(Patriarchate of Constantinople, Rue Daru),
which until 2003 were presided over by
Archbishop Sergius (Konovaloff) (1941-2003),
includes 4 parishes, which are put together with
the deanery in northern France; the dean is
Father Guy Fontaine, of Liege. The offices are
celebrated in Slavonic, French and Dutch,
according to circumstances. When he was elected
as archbishop in Paris (Rue Daru), Archbishop
Sergius (Konovaloff), former priest in Brussels,
used to come back regularly and visit these
communities. His successor, Archbishop Gabriel
(De Vylder), is also Belgian, but he resided for
a long time in The Netherlands. Until his
election he served the parish of Liege and was
in charge of the vicariate of the archbishopric
for the Benelux countries.

Three parishes,
two in Brussels and one in Luxemburg (a Orthodox
looking church with a cupola built by Father
Sergius Poukh) are under the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside Russia. There are aged Russian
people as well as new faithful from diverse
origins. These parishes are under Bishop Michel
(Donskoff) who resides in Geneva (Switzerland).

These Greek and
Russian communities gather faithful who
integrated into the western reality and who have
learned to use different languages during the
celebrations as well as to take into account the
environment where they live. However, the great
flux of new emigrants from Eastern Europe may
change this situation.

Let us also note
the existence of three Romanian communities (in
Brussels, Antwerp and Liege), of a Bulgarian
parish and of a Serbian parish (both in
Brussels), which depend on their respective
mother Churches, through the dioceses of Western
Europe whose seats are situated outside Belgium.

There are also
three parishes under the Ukrainian Church in
Exile. In Genk in Limburg a beautiful church was
built in Ukrainian baroque style. The
Patriarchate of Constantinople has received
these communities in 1990; they seem to keep
isolated from the other Orthodox communities in
Belgium.

As a whole, even
though there is no Orthodox Episcopal organ of
coordination in Belgium, the links between the
Orthodox communities are brotherly. One of their
common manifestations is the celebration of the
Sunday of Orthodoxy which every year gathers the
representatives of the all the jurisdictions in
Brussels.

Other signs of
pan-Orthodox collaboration can be seen through
some organisations (such as the Orthodox
Fellowship in Brussels or the local movement of
Orthodox Youth linked to Syndesmos) where
Orthodox of different jurisdictions
collaborates. There are also other events
organized in common, such as the Orthodox
congresses organized by the Belgian Orthodox
Fellowship (in Bruges-Maele in 1972, in Natoye
in 1977 and in Blankenberge in 2000); as well as
the congresses of the Orthodox Fellowship in
Western Europe (in Ghent in 1983 and in
Blankenberge in 1993 and in 2005). Some parishes
publish a bulletin. Some books and reviews are
also published in common by Orthodox of Belgium.

There are
ecumenical relationships: some Orthodox takes
part in different ecumenical associations (ACAT,
‘Action by Christians for the Abolition of
Torture’, ‘Pax Christi’) and in official
institutions. One may consider that the Orthodox
presence in ecumenical circles in Belgium could
be stronger, even if the Orthodox are a minority
in the country.

One cannot keep
silent about the fact that some Orthodox
Churches have their own representations in the
European institutions in Brussels. The
Patriarchate of Constantinople set the first
representation in 1995, followed by the Churches
of Greece, Russia and Romania. Other Churches
may follow their example.

This panorama of
Orthodoxy in Belgium and in Luxemburg would not
be complete without speaking of the legal
situation. In 1985, the Orthodox Church was
recognized by the Belgian state as an official
denomination, as is the case for the Catholic,
Protestant, and Anglican denominations, and
Jewish and Muslim religions. This legal
recognition, completed by decrees in 1988, does
give rights to the Orthodox of Belgium and at
the same time imposes duties. An identical
recognition was given in the Great Duchy of
Luxemburg in 1998. The rights are linked to the
recognition of determined parishes with salary
for the priests as well as to the possibility of
involvement in the medias (with Orthodox
programmes on radio and television), in the
hospitals and jails; besides other confessions
and religions (Catholic, Protestant, Anglican,
Jewish and Muslim) the Orthodox may organize
courses of Orthodox religion in public schools
(since 1988-1989 in Flanders, and since 1997 in
the French speaking part of the country). The
imposed duties imply not only a respect for the
conditions of application of these dispositions,
but also to understand that the acts of the
Orthodox community have, from now on, feedback
in Belgian society.

As is the case
for all the Christian communities, the future of
the Orthodox Church in Belgium and in Luxemburg
is in God’s hands. From a human point of view,
one could wish that the Orthodox might move
towards a deeper rooting in the country where
they live while remaining united to traditional
and universal Orthodoxy. The Orthodox,
despite their diverse origins, are linked by the
unity of faith and of sacraments. In the
future, they should reinforce their common
testimony, without forgetting they are in
Western Europe on ancient Christian ground. They
have to become conscious, with the other
Christians, of the realities of the contemporary
world; together they are responsible to be
living witnesses of the Gospel.